Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

BIRD TOURISM REPORTS 7/2016 Petri Hottola GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS Fig. 1. An Antillean Nighthawk, one of the birds seen during the short Grand Cayman visit. In 2016, June 18th to 20th, I made a brief visit to the island of Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. The visit was not without its problems, notably those with American Airlines delays and cancellations. Moreover, my need to save money on this exceedingly expensive (accommodation) island resulted in a program not everybody would consider their piece of cake. Nevertheless, some of the mistakes and successes of this trip might be informative or inspiring to other birders who intend to visit Grand Cayman. The target birds were seen, after all. I therefore decided to write a few lines in the form of the following report. This was actually my second visit in Grand Cayman. In 2013, on my way to Cuba, I was in transit in George Town, with Cayman Airways flights. The plan was to look for the near-endemic Vitelline Warbler in a promising spot next to the airport. Unfortunately, nobody was able to confirm our departure time. It could be delayed or early, and I therefore had to check in at once, not being able to leave the building, as planned. Cayman Airways, Bahamasair and various other regional airlines operate in their own cultural realm, in which timetables are not followed the way the rest of the world follows them. It is the so called ‘Caribbean Time Zone’. As a result, I needed to return to Grand Cayman in 2016, and overnight there. My target species included, in addition to the Vitelline Warbler, the caymanensis subspecies of Cuban Amazon and the taylori subspecies of Cuban Bullfinch. Even though rejected as splits for the moment, they have significant potential to become full endemic species in the future. Additionally, I was going to try to see as many resident bird species as possible, owls, woodpeckers and passerines in particular, as new taxonomic categorizations may one day involve also them. Our knowledge of these and many subspecies is limited and it will take a lot of work until all the question marks have been erased. In fact, they ‘never’ will be. It is an evolving issue. ACCOMMODATION The key problem in Cayman Islands, with their room rates which tend to be three to five times higher than on the neighboring islands, is to locate a reasonably priced bed for the night. For a short visit, an airbnb would have been the most affordable choice. I was, however, too late when attempting to make reservation in February, only five months before the planned arrival. The only choices available were mostly extraordinarily expensive or at ‘party houses’. As a result, I made a reservation at the only remaining ‘budget’ choice, Riviera Grand Cayman Hotel, which has also been favored by a number of other visiting birders. Even they charged USD 136 per night; way too much for the service. I guess that in an economy based on tax evasion and money laundry (e.g. 600 banks; assets over USD 500 billion) and tourism, room rates tend to move up. Fig. 2. My room at Riviera Grand Cayman Hotel; the bed after some serious sleeping. There was, however, one remaining way to economize. I would not sleep in the first night but would occupy the room as early as possible the next day, and sleep as much as possible afterwards, before my next day flight back to Miami, with a transit to Lima, and eventually, Piura. Doing that, my accommodation costs in Grand Cayman would be a more reasonable USD 68 per night. As a result, I napped one or two bad hours on the seat of my rental car, at the peaceful access road of Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park (QEBP). Air conditioning had to be on for the most of the time, as it was +31C outdoors. Opening windows was not a good idea, because of mosquitoes. The next day, I arrived at Riviera Grand Cayman Hotel at 12.30 and could immediately check in, in a vacant suite. Unfortunately, the keys of the room needed to be delivered by a Jamaican employee, who followed the ‘Caribbean time’, delaying my shower and sleep by an hour. That is how long it took to deliver the keys 40 meters to the room. I first slept 8.5 hours, waking up for an hour, and slept again for another 5.5 hours. Starting my arrival day in Chicago, with a transit in Miami, I had not had proper sleep for 37 hours. CAR RENTAL Fortunately, car rental was not overprized like the rooms were. What is more, small and economical vehicles are the most suitable ones on the small island. My choice was Andy’s Car Rental. They have an office right next to the Grand Cayman airport terminal, across its large parking lot, and have competitive rates. My new Kia Picanto cost USD 49.50 per day, with zero deductible, unlimited kilometers and a surprise USD 20 driver’s license fee. Fig. 3. The Kia Picanto was in perfect condition and had a full tank of gasoline. The practice of charging extras from tourists, in the form of locally issued ‘temporary driving licenses’ appears to be endemic to the small islands of the Caribbean and some parts of the South Pacific. Thanks to American Airlines, I almost got stranded at the airport. In Miami, we were already on board at the departure gate. Then, two small cells of potential thunder passed the airport and the ground staff stopped their work for an hour, even though they had only three (!) suitcases left (according to our pilot), to lift up into the cargo compartment. As a result of the overall delay, the runways could not handle the departing traffic anymore. The total delay was two hours. In the end, we landed in Grand Cayman at 20.25, on the 18th of June. The car rental was supposed to close at 20.00. Fortunately, a local American Airlines representative let me phone Andy’s while waiting for the suitcase. As a result, I found out that the car rental people would wait for me and some other customers, who also arrived late because of a flight delay. After a sigh of relief, the late arrival ceased to be a problem. I had to wait till next morning anyway, and the period of darkness lasted 10.5 hours. After some disoriented driving in circles, I was able to locate the main route to Bodden Town and continue towards Old Man’s Town, before turning right to the Queen Elisabeth II Botanic Park. There was plenty of traffic, predominantly young people zooming around in their ‘Saturday night fever’. Fig. 4. My Andy’s Car Rental Kia in front of the Queen Elisabeth II Botanic Park entrance. The spot proved to be very productive for passerines, including a breeding pair of Vitelline Warblers. FOOD My arrival was on Saturday and late in the evening, because of the American Airlines delay. This created another problem to be solved. In some Caribbean Islands, extremist Christian missionaries have established customs which used to be followed thousand years ago in the Middle East. I mean the Sunday Sabbath, causing the closure of almost all the services, by law. Aware of the potential problem, I had brought some food with me, bought at Piggly Wigglys at Waupun, Wisconsin, but could not bring enough drinks because of airline security restrictions. Luckily, Domino’s Pizza was open by the Bodden Town Road. I had to choose Diet Coke, because bottled water was three times more expensive. Driving back towards my hotel, the next day, I saw an open gas station just before George Town. They had food, snacks and drinks for sale, in addition to a full tank of fuel. The Riviera Grand Cayman room, on the other hand, had a fridge. In Grand Cayman, US dollar is an accepted form of payment, in addition to the Cayman Islands dollar. Fig. 5. An amusingly ‘welcoming’ sign by the High Rock Drive, Grand Cayman. BIRDS AND BIRDING At night, I looked around the well-lit QEBP access road and made a trip to Old Man Bay and Barefoot Beach. The seat of the small car was a bit uncomfortable one in the long run, and I needed an American Barn Owl on my Cayman Islands list. There were crushed and live crabs and a number of dead cats on the roads at night. Otherwise, it was very peaceful after the locals had gone to the bed. In the morning of 19th June, the birds started to sing at 05.00. At 05.45, it was possible to start observing them. I stayed at the access road and especially at the QEBP entrance gate, till 07.45, before leaving the place. The staff started to arrive at 07.00 and one of them invited me in before the official opening time, telling me that birders are welcome early. I thanked him for the privilege but did not enter, as everything I needed had already been discovered at the access road. There is a fee for the entrance, too, and we birders with limited funds need to think how to economize as much as possible. Instead, I drove around the East End of the island, making a circular side tour on the High Rock Drive. The trip continued to North Side and eventually to Rhum Point, a rather uninspiring tourist area. Attempts to access some coastal ponds (e.g. Malportas Pond) not visible from the main road were made, but I could not locate any tracks which would go all the way to the shore.

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